Okinawa Base Issue: Full-Page Ad in Washington Post

It is a rarity that the anti-base movement gets much mention in the mainstream media. So, thanks to the generous contributions of Japanese and American citizens, the Network for Okinawa and the Japan-U.S. Citizens for Okinawa Network took out a full-page ad in The Washington Post today.

"Would You Want 30 Military Bases in Your Backyard?" reads the headline of the ad. "The new base would damage the health and safety of people and threaten a unique ecosystem that contains many rare species. This includes the Okinawan dugong, an endangered cousin of the manatee."

The sponsors of the ad want to send a message to the Obama administration that a significant number of Americans support Okinawan concerns about the environmental and social consequences of U.S. military bases on the island. The ad challenges the prevailing consensus in Washington that the Futenma base is essential to U.S. national security.

The full-page ad coincides with a letter sent to President Obama and Prime Minister Hatoyama, signed by more than 500 organizations, that demands the immediate closure of Futenma and the cancellation of plans to relocate it to Henoko Bay.